Exercise techniques and apparatuses for strengthening and toning a user's muscle groups are known in the art. Typically, such techniques and apparatuses are intended to facilitate the exercise of a particular group, or several groups of muscles in a region of the body. For example, to exercise the posterior chain of muscles—that is, the lower back, gluteal muscles, and hamstring muscles—there is an effective exercise known as the glute-ham raise. The glute-ham raise exercise typically involves the user kneeling down, securing his feet such that the legs are parallel or almost parallel to the floor, and, with the knees as a fulcrum, utilizing the posterior chain of muscles to so as to lower the torso towards the floor, and to subsequently raise the torso into the original position.
The drawback of the glute-ham raise exercise is that the lower legs need to be secured in one position. This may be accomplished either by another person, or by a significant amount of weight applied to the user's lower legs. Consequently, known exercise apparatuses configured for the glute-ham raise exercise, or for analogous exercises, are typically heavy, including weights or weighed bases that act as a counterweight for the weight of the user while securing the user's ankles. As such apparatuses are heavy, they are not configured for portability. Thus, an individual wishing to exercise the posterior chain of muscles would need to obtain cumbersome and unwieldy exercise equipment, visit a gym or exercise room, or request assistance from another individual, who can secure the lower legs so that the exercises can be performed. This presents a problem for individuals who are frequently on the go, or who do not have convenient access to a gym or exercise room. Therefore, a lightweight and portable device for facilitating exercise of the posterior chain of muscles is needed.